Immigration Reform: S.744 Offers Historic and Bipartisan Progress

I’m excited to welcome the introduction of S.744, particularly the way this new Senate bill embodies bipartisan agreement on basic improvements that LIRS has long championed for welcoming newcomers to the United States.

We’re thrilled that S.744 shows bipartisan agreement on fundamental improvements to America’s immigration process that LIRS has long advocated. The majority of Americans are calling for immigration reform that keeps families together and offers a roadmap to earned citizenship – because family unity is vital to our congregations and communities, and because this reform is smart for our economy and our country.

It’s no coincidence that 40 Lutheran leaders from across the country were on Capitol Hill this week calling for passage of a bill that creates a fair and humane immigration system. Although we’re still analyzing S.744, we are glad that Senate leadership has taken heed of their call for action. Now we’re urging the House of Representatives to show bipartisan leadership like that in the Senate.

Because this battle is far from over, I ask that you continue to follow the progress of legislation in the House and Senate by tuning in each Monday to THE UPDATE, this blog’s weekly look at the latest developments in immigration reform. We have a panel of experts who weigh in on the details of the debate and offer their combined decades of Hill experience.

Principle 1. Provide an earned pathway to lawful permanent residency and eventual citizenship for undocumented immigrants and their families.

We are overall quite pleased with the creation of a process for undocumented immigrants to eventually earn citizenship in the country they consider home. This pathway towards citizenship must be accessible and fairly adjudicated, and this bill is a positive step towards that outcome.

Principle 2. Ensure humane and just enforcement of immigration laws by reducing use of immigration detention and expanding community support programs.

This bill improves access to justice for migrants and refugees navigating our immigration system. LIRS welcomes the increased provision of counsel and legal protections for unaccompanied migrant children and individuals facing deportation and detention. The bill also recognizes the promise of community based alternatives to detention, which LIRS has begun to cultivate nationwide, as a cost-effective and humane way to promote integration and make our communities stronger.

Principle 3. Protect families from separation and ensure an adequate supply of visas for families seeking to reunite. LIRS remains committed to family unity for all migrants and refugees.

We are encouraged by improvements for refugee children in need of protection and children separated from their parents by immigration detention and deportation. Although this bill does improve the options for family unity for many immigrants who have been seeking to reunite with loved ones in the United States for years, LIRS is disappointed by the creation of an age cap on married children hoping to reunite with their U.S. citizen parents and the proposed elimination of immigration channels for brothers and sisters of American citizens.

Principle 4. Provide adequate resources and protections to ensure the successful integration of refugees, asylees, survivors of torture and trafficking, unaccompanied minors, and other vulnerable migrants.

We welcome the bill’s recognition of how essential integration is for new Americans and their communities. Especially exciting are improvements that would better protect refugees, asylum seekers, stateless individuals, and migrants who are victims of serious crimes. These changes bring America closer to fulfilling humanitarian obligations to those seeking a safe haven and new life, while also improving efficiencies in current immigration processes.

Principle 5. Ensure the protection of U.S. citizen and migrant workers.The bipartisan bill makes changes that would treat workers fairly and recognize the contributions of immigrant workers to this country.

S.744 is a step in the right direction. Many thanks to all of you who’ve used the LIRS Action Center to call on your elected officials to pass fair and humane legislation!We need you to keep raising your voice as the campaign for comprehensive immigration reform moves forward in the next few weeks!

Comments

All this bill says is to violate any law you want. Now because it is expensive to jail and deport the criminals how broke our laws. We need to change the law and give the criminals amnesty. Why should anyone follow, our laws? If you do not qualify to migrate here or are to important to wait your turn then ignore our laws and move here. You will be given amnesty. What about all of the good honest people who have a couple of drinks and then drive home. They just want to get home, to their families and to go to there job the next day. Think of all the money you can save by legalizing drunk driving?
The only way to truly reform the immigration mess is to fine the business who profit from the misery of illegal aliens. They pay these people much less then they would ever pay an American citizen. They deduct for taxes and keep the money as extra profit.
The law would simply state that an employer must collect a social security card and a state issued I’d from the state where they are going to work. The employer would look at the picture to see if it matches (if a man is applying and uses a woman id) the employer would make a photo copy and place it is the employees file. Then put the person to work. Then if immigration conducts a raid. The police will ask for the employees files. If the employer does not have copies of the identification, they would get a fine of $10,000.00 for each undocumented employee. If the identification the employee will go to jail for I’d theft. This will take the profit out of enslaving desperate people. If the people can not get a job they will go home and try and make their country better. Problem solved. If you are going to provide amnesty to criminals to save money then we must legalize drunk driving also.

Trackbacks

[…] It’s my privilege to use this blog to lift up the voices of my colleagues. Today, as the new Senate bill (S.744) is unveiled, I’d like to share the thoughts of LIRS Interim Director for Access to Justice Megan Bremer. For additional analysis of S.744, please click here. […]